No Surprises For Neal

29 November 2013

Rick Cowdery

ARGYLE’S run of form that has taken them to mid-table in Sky Bet League 2 and into the second round of the FA Cup has not surprised Neal Trotman.

The Argyle centre-back believes due diligence on Harper’s Park has helped breed a familiarity with his fellow defenders that has paid dividends with an eight-match unbeaten run in which the Pilgrims have conceded just three goals.

Burton Albion are the next side to test out the Argyle rearguard’s resilience, when they visit Home Park for Saturday’s Sky Bet League 2 fixture.

“We have worked quite hard on the training-ground,” said Neal, “and we knew, if we carried on working hard, it would come, which it has.

“At the start, there wasn’t an understanding because there were a few players new to each other and it took a while to get used to each other.

“It takes time, but we are starting to gel and things are starting to come together. We have an understanding now.

“The more games we play together, the more we get used to each other - when to cover when to go up for headers.”

Neal’s current deal at Home Park is set to expire in January but being offered an extension is currently far from the forefront of his mind.

“I haven’t thought about,” he said. “I’m quite happy playing. I’m not going to stay up at night, thinking about it. I’m just happy to come in, train well, play well, and hopefully I can play my way into a new contract.”

Should he do that, he is convinced he and Argyle can kick on in the second half of the season.

He said: “If we stay in and around towards Christmas and just after, I think we’ve got a good chance of making something happen.

“If we can get points away and obviously win our home games, it’ll put us in a good position, come the end of the season.

“We can’t win them all, obviously, because it’s football. But I think, if we were to get beat, whenever that will be, we will pick ourselves up and go on another run.